How fortunate it is, then, that John just happens to be our guest for today's edition of the LexBlog Q & A interview series. Though we'll leave a detailed explanation of the Circle for our interview (available after the jump), suffice to say that the site is living proof of how the right kind of social networking can bring lawyers together in a useful web-based environment...one that we can expect to see more of in the near future.

1. Rob La Gatta: Tell me a little bit about Texas Bar Circle. How did the idea for it first come about?

John Sirman: Texas Bar Circle is a social and professional network for Texas lawyers. It works very much like MySpace or Facebook, but our network is "closed" and only accessible by our members.

Before we launched Texas Bar Circle about a year ago, we had toyed with the idea for some time. We saw it as a natural offering to bar members, especially considering the social nature of the legal profession. So we approached Affinity Circles, which had previously provided networks only for alumni associations. They shared our vision and quickly built and launched Texas Bar Circle.

2. Rob La Gatta: In a January article authored by Tom Mighell for Law Practice Magazine, he notes that between June and January, approximately 2,200 attorneys had signed up for Texas Bar Circle. Since January, has that number grown any more?

John Sirman: Today we've got more than 4,600 registered users (and counting).

3. Rob La Gatta: Do you find that many of the users have simply created the account and lost interest, or is there widespread active participation?

John Sirman: My sense is there are a lot who registered and haven't been active. Our job now is to figure out how to keep people engaged and coming back to the community.

A tool like this is really what the user makes of it; the more people contribute to the community, the more they'll benefit. We've also seen lots of examples of people who are actively participating and making new connections through Texas Bar Circle.

4. Rob La Gatta: What about security? How are you guaranteeing that the information isn't accessed by anyone outside of the legal community?

John Sirman: When users register for Texas Bar Circle there are authentication steps in place that assure us they're actually Texas lawyers. So far, security hasn't been an issue.

5. Rob La Gatta: Do you expect in the future to see more online networks like this, aiming to draw together attorneys from a specific region or practice area?

John Sirman: I think online social networks of attorneys are here to stay, and that we'll see more and more of them. There are also likely to be "meta networks," which connect various social networks and allow their members to connect and collaborate outside their own groups.

I also expect us to see things we can't even imagine today. We're really at a turning point for social media, and the fun is only just beginning.

Interested in hearing more? Recent LexBlog Q & A posts:

• Robert Scoble, video blogger for Fast Company.TV and author of the technology blog Scobleizer [3.8.08]
• John Bolch, UK-based family lawyer and author of the blog Family Lore [4.1.08]
• Stuart Buck, attorney with Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel PLLC and author of the blog The Buck Stops Here [3.27.08]
• Monica Bay, editor-in-chief of Law Technology News and author of the blog The Common Scold [3.26.08]
• Mary Flood, reporter for the Houston Chronicle and author of the blog Legal Trade [3.24.08]

Per an article in Texas Lawyer, entrants under 18 can win a $2,500 scholarship, while those over 18 are competing for a $2,500 cash prize. The Bar will be informing teachers around the state about the contest to encourage more video entries from students.

I agree with State Bar President Gib Walton, who launched the Bar's YouTube contest at the suggestion of Crane MetaMarketing, who sees 'this as a new venue for the citizens of Texas to express their opinions on the justice system in Texas and to do it in a fun environment.'

YouTube, used as a community of user generated videos, is using YouTube the smart way. Contrast Texas' approach with the Pennsylvania Bar Association whose advertising company used YouTube to run a Bar television advertisement to emphasize the good that lawyers accomplish.

No one at YouTube gives a darn what a Bar Association has to say about the wonderful things the Bar's members do. (I am not discounting lawyers' contributions to society) YouTube viewers want to see what other people say and Bar Associations should promote themselves and the law through what non lawyers think about the law. As Walton says 'We know Texans have opinions, I'm looking forward to what Texans have to say.'

Update From Carolyn Elefant: I'm impressed by the Texas Bar's initiative -- and excited by the prospect of bar associations using video for another reason as well. Now that the bars realize that they can harness the power of YouTube, perhaps they can combat what they perceive as tasteless TV ads not through heavy-handed regulation but simply through a counter video campaign.